Awakening Ganesha

  December 2, 2007                     Monthly  Newsletter                         Volume 38                                 

Happy Solstice and 2007 Year End Cheer

Come to our yearly open house and celebrate with us at our annual YOGA DAY! Monday, December 31st.  FREE classes all day long, ending with Kirtan with the Sedona Wallahs from 9:00 pm-midnight.  See class schedule below for more details.

Monday, December 3rd- KIRTAN WITH KALIDAS

7:00 pm. Join Kalidas for an evening of sacred chant.  Kalidas is a part sadhu/part musician and has been practicing Bhakti and Karma Yoga for ten years in ashrams in the Southwest and India.  Cost:  $10

Saturday, December 22nd - Winter Solstice Concert

7-8:30pm This evening is a celebration of acoustic guitar, flute performed by Roger and Linda Ayers with a crystal bowls sound meditation offered by Guy Mathews. Free.

New class offerings: 

Sadhana Practice: Focus on Being - Beginning Monday, December 3rd-31st, Shraddhasagar will be leading morning asana, pranayama and meditation inspired by teachings from the Bhagavad Gita.  Monday, Wednesday and Fridays during December, 6:00-8:00am.  Monthly cost:  $50

No need to call, just show up!

Pre-natal yoga with Crystal Oostema - Thursdays 9:30 - 11:00am Join other moms-to-be in preparation for birth.

Kripalu Style Yoga with Guy Matthews - Saturdays 8:30-10:00am This is a gentle easy class with stretching, breathing and integrated asana flow.

The Adventures of Lionheart,  Temple Cat

"When Reality is not as it appears to be"

Developing Spiritual Discernment for the New Year

The title Paramahansa, such as Paramahansa Yogananda or Paramahansa Satyananda translates into the “great or supreme swan”. Swans are revered in Vedic mythology because they are said have the ability to separate milk from water when mixed suggesting the highest ability of discernment. Swami Niranjanananda translates this as “one who sees reality clearly”.  It means one who has acquired the ability to see without the lens of inherited family and cultural beliefs, to see to the inner truth beyond the apparent reality.  Everyone has experienced people or events in politics, religion, Hollywood, education, spiritual teachers who are presented in  certain way and then discovered that “all was not as it appeared to be”. Our media is filled with dramas around disclosures of deception and hypocrisy.  And what is our reflection? Perhaps we have simply projected upon a person or a situation what we wanted to see rather than what is, or we have accepted without questioning what we are told.  With hindsight, can we not see the missed cues? How do we build greater discernment in our reality? 

Conscious listening activates intuition – our sixth sense. The ears are the sense organ directly related to the Ether element which holds knowledge not bound by time or space. Who and what are we listening to? Are we listening to the words or to the subtext? What is in the silence? Is this not why cats take walks and go into nature to be able to hear the still voice within and connect to our inner guidance. Learn to create quiet within by setting aside what comes from the mind and instead tune into the wisdom of the the earth. nature and most importantly our bodies as a reflection of innate intuition. Is this not the greatest of survival skills that a cat has?

You can contact Lionheart at lionheart@7centers.com.

The Ayurvedic Corner

Chyavanprash

Protection against Colds & Flu’s

Ayurveda offers a powerful ancient herbal formula to help protect against winter colds and flu’s.  Chyavanprash is an immune boosting Rasayana or rejuvenating tonic for both the body and mind. Known as “The Elixir of Life”, it has been used in India for thousands of years. Generations of families, young children to grandparents, have been taking a heaping spoonful of Chyavanprash daily as an all-around health tonic.

An elderly sage, Rishi Chyavana, formulated this special combination of anti-aging herbs to attain a long life span, youthfulness, strength, and vitality. The legend goes that he wanted to stay healthy, fit, and disease free for his young bride.

  The combination of 20 to 40 synergistic herbs is one of the most effective natural anti-oxidants available today.

  Chyavanprash is a nutritive jam made of Amla berries.

It’s main ingredient, Amla fruit, is THE richest, natural source of Vitamin C. Ascorbic Acid, known as vitamin C, helps fight against the common cold, cough, chest congestion, allergies, asthma and respiratory infections.   It works on the immune system of the body, protecting against everyday infections as well as serious cancers.

  Chyavanprash also contains Ashwagandha, Shatavari,, and many other energizing and purifying herbs.  These herbs are adaptogenic, which means they balance the hormonal system, helping to cope with STRESS.

It is all mixed in a base of ghee and raw honey, with digestive spices like turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and long pepper which kindle the digestive fire and enhance metabolism. The sweet and sour tastes are carriers to help absorption and assimilation of nutrients into each cell.  In fact Chyavanprash is always prescribed after an Ayurvedic detox cleanse, to repair and rebuild healthy tissue.

  All of us could benefit from including this simple, tasty jam to our daily regimen, especially over the cold and flu season.  It will ward off oncoming germ assaults, and quickly break up the congestion we commonly experience this time of year.

  Chyavanprash is traditionally taken with hot milk, or hot water.  It can also be eaten every morning spread over a piece of toast. 

To purchase organic Chyavanprash, or other Ayurvedic herbs, please contact Avani Sukhadia Robinson at

Authentic Ayurveda of Sedona  (928) 284-1114            www.Ayurveda-Sedona.com

 Vedic Astrology